Thursday, October 25, 2007

Jacob, the Saber-Toothed Wonder Child

**Warning, the following photographs may causenausea and light-headedness**

A couple of months ago we took Jacob to the Dutch-run 'Dental House' and the orthodontist suggested that we pull four of his permanent teeth and allow his mouth to grow before adding on years' worth of braces and retainers. Well, today was the day when the first two extractions were made.

Jacob was nervous and Brian and Lance volunteered to accompany us. We drove out to the office and made it right on time for his 15:30 appointment. A few minutes later they called us back and the little operating room was quickly filled with two Americans, three Dutch and two Italians. Poor Jacob did well considering the circumstances. He was very scared and began crying and asking questions. They gave him a couple of shots of anesthesia and wrapped his face in a towel so nothing was showing but his mouth. The doctor pulled a baby tooth before working on the two permanent ones. Whew - Jacob may have been in pain, but I was in agony watching. Orders were being barked out in Dutch and English and Italian and Jacob didn't know who was talking to who. A couple of times he reached for the instrument or the suction tube, thinking the doctor was talking to him and everyone would jump up and yell at him not to touch anything because his hands weren't sterile.

The baby tooth was normal-sized. The first permanent tooth was large. When the third tooth came out, the doctor turned to me and raised it, pinched in some metal instrument, and made a face at me like, 'Can you believe the size of this thing?' Makes sense, Heather has big babies, Jacob has big teeth.

Whew. Well, 90 minutes later, we checked out and made an appointment for next week to have his stitches taken out. When Brian and Lance came out of the waiting room and Jacob, ice-pack shoved against his face, showed him his teeth (placed in a little, blue, plastic treasure chest), Lance's face went pale. A minute later he stumbled and hit his head on the wall and then walking out to the car, he fainted and fell to the ground! He recovered quickly and is OK now.

Jacob, Papa and I are very proud of how brave you were. This will be a great memory for you and Lance. When you are grown men you will be able to say. "Remember that time when we were kids, and I had those teeth pulled."

Nice teeth Jacob! You are very brave!I just had some teeth pulled too. The dentist has already pulled 2 and I have to get 2 more pulled. Did you like the grinding noise inside your mouth while they were pulling the teeth? Yeah... me neither!

Dude...Jacob...that's amazing how big that is! I once had a baby tooth pulled, but it wasn't near that big. But I do remember getting a little yellow treasure chest to keep it in...I think I still have it at home.Hope your mouth heals quickly!

Wow, Jakester! You go, boy. So proud of you. Poor Lance. What a true friend! Hope you feel great soon. Your mouth looked sore and stretched. I know that hurts. Hope you get lots of jello and ice cream. When will you get the others pulled? Love you, buddy! Grandmommy

The Sunken Church

This blog follows the life, ministry and adventures of the Casey family. We were missionaries in Ancona, Italy from 2000 until 2011. We are now adventuring in the US of A, experimenting with running a business, growing a garden, raising a family and challenging the Church to break outside the box and adopt new forms to reach a new generation with the truth of the Gospel.

di Ancona

About Me

Born in Santiago, Chile I have grown up on the move - lived in some 15 different homes. I am a 'word' person - enjoying almost anything to do with books and literature. I love exploring God's great world and helping people find their place in it.

sunken

The story goes like this:

There once was a church down by the port in Ancona, Italy. With the passing of time, shaken by earthquakes and beaten by the winds, the foundations of the church crumbled and the church toppled into the sea. A friend of ours shared with us that she remembers, as a little girl, playing along the pier and seeing the remains of the church under the water. She remembers seeing the cross from the top of the church under the surface. She told us that some say that if the wind was strong enough and the waves choppy enough, you could even hear the bells...

The story leads to this question:

If we were to raise her out of the water, if we were to restore her completely to what she was originally intended to be...what would she look like? If we were to remove her from all the traditions that humankind has surrounded her with and drowned her in...who would she be?